Howdy ya'll,
I'm sure lots of you have gathered pieces of this project up over my various different posts but its time to put it in 1 spot. Buckle up, get a drink and some snacks because this is going to be a long post.
The Car:
Its a 1964 Buick Riviera White on White car that I bought 2 yrs ago with 86k original miles. Its a very high option car, so far the identified missing options are the 4 note horn, pop up rear armrest, cruise control, automatic dimming headlights, wooden steering wheel, dual quads, vacuum trunk release, possibly a reverb for the stereo, and the extremely rare alternate rear end ratio. It has power everything including the vent window (power locks were not an option till 66), AM-FM stereo with fader and power antenna, cornering lamps, deluxe interior, speed minder, AC, rear window defroster, and the crowning option a 3.23 POSI!! Its been on 1.75 powertours and the drive back from Colorado was just as long as the 2006 powertour I did. So far the car itself has just recieved FatMat under the rear seat area, inside the passenger's compartment section of the quarters, and the insides of the doors. I've also replaced pretty much all the weatherstripping and rubber seals on the car. The front suspension has been almost totally rebuilt with factory H2 sports suspension or aftermarket upgrade pieces. I pulled the factory radio and speakers and made my own custom plate to hold a pair of 4in speakers for front stereo and put a plate where the radio went for your standard 4 gauges though the gas gauge doesn't work since I'm still running the old style GM factory gauge which has the reverse Ohm range for full to empty.
Currently it has a 425cid 465 Wildcat. For you non Buick guys out there, Buick rated its Nailheads and other engines in production at the same time with thier torque rating so my 425 Nailhead produced 340hp and 465lb-ft of torque when new. This is backed by the first production year of the TH400, though Buick called it the ST400 and it has a bizzare valvebody that like an AODE won't let you hold 2nd without first shifting into Drive letting it go to second then pulling the shifter back into Low. Unfortunately the Nailhead is now sick with the #1 way down on compression, bad blow by problems consuming oil at an ever increasing rate, and the cooling system is full of aluminum and iron dust after last years waterpump explosion on powertour. I've been planning this project for a long time, been building the engine over the last 4yrs, and I'm ready to get on with it.
The New Engine: Franken-Buick V6
Block: 484 4.1L production block bored to 3.995in (0.030 over)
Crank: Eagle 4340 Non-twist internal balance forging in stock 3.400in stroke and stock bearings
Rods: K1 5.960in 4340 forged rods with full floating 0.940in Diamond steel pins
Pistons: 3.995in bore custom Diamond full floating forged pistons with -36cc chamber profiled reverse deflector dome, Diamond file fit 4.00in bore rings
Heads: Champion CNC ported 8445 iron heads with 1.77/1.5in valves (intake oversized), exhaust crossovers filled
Cam: Comp 212/212 at 0.050 ductile iron retrofit roller, Comp 853 retrofit roller hydrallic lifters
Valvetrain: Edelbrock double roller timing chain, TA custom length single piece pushrods, T&D 1.65 full roller shaft mounted rockers with shaft braces
Intake: Currently a stock unported LC2 Turbo6 piece, will be replaced by a Champion GN1 intake when funds allow
Front cover assembly: Stage II Busch Series drysump front cover milled 0.125in for a motor plate (caused interference problems with the timing chain but little else) upper section hand fitted over the top of an L67 Series II gerotor oil pump lower timing cover section sealed together with Aviation formagasket on the aluminum and epoxy joint. Oil pump is driven off of a cut down stock L67 timing gear as an oil pump spacer and a milled depth Indy Lites neutral balance damper.
Headers: Customized steel ATR headers modified for chassis and suspension clearance and external wastegates
Oil Pan: Cut down '64 Buick LeSabre 300 V8 pan for suspension and crossmember clearance
Turbo: Currently nothing but an empty stock LC2 exhaust housing used for mockup and intitial tuning, will probably be replaced by a complete stock LC2 turbo for more tuning practice then a full on watercooled, ball bearing turbo.
Transmission: '67 BT code Switch Pitch SP400 for the time being till I can afford a full built TH200-4R
EFI System: L67 OBDII ECM tuned by HPTuners VCM Pro tuning suite
Major sensor run down:
MAF LQ4 85mm GM, MAP L67 2-bar, Crank Position L67 with reluctors attached to the back of the Indy Lites balancer, Cam sensor LC2 with Casper's cap and L67 harness plug, IAT in the LQ4 MAF, coolant L67, Knock sensor L67 (1 in the factory position the other in a new hole in the rear webbing), O2 LC1 wideband in emulator mode, VSS Painless 60115 bolt on 2 pulse VSS, IAC L67 in a 94 3.4L 60º V6 adapter. Data logging WB02, both sides EGT, and probably a narrowband O2 in front of the turbo routed into the Cat performance O2 sensor sensor lead on the stock harness.
I'll be disabling all the emissions stuff, the trans stuff, and the security stuff to make it work in its stripped down environment.
Harness: 99 Buick Regal GS
ECM: It will think its a 99 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
Injectors: 36pph L67 factory units currently, going to 60pph Motrons with turbo upgrade
Fuel tank: 96 B-body tank and straps on custom mounting
Fuel Pump: currently 96 factor B-body, will be upgraded to twin Walbro units on a hobbes switch with the bigger turbo
Fuel lines: Buick Riviera's with AC came with a return line factory so thats the current setup, will be upgraded to larger stainless lines from Inline tube
The project part. Right now I'm short a handful of things but most of them are on order or atleast a shopping list. I"m going to get the AC system pulled down on the Riviera since it still has R12 in it and I can sell that for some extra money which will probably go towards hose and plumbing. To make this fit I need that '64 LeSabre oil pan to clear the X-frame and the rear steer suspsension and that goofey gerotor oil pump started as an engineering exercise to help the Buick's oiling problems but turned into an absolute need with the fact the V6 will sit so far back into the engine bay that it would have put the oil pump into the engine crossmember. The Nailhead has a Ford style waterpump exit while the V6 has a GM style so I need to replace the radiator and since the stock unit a downflow and rather narrow I'm going to go with a Summit 380325 universal which is about 2in too short but almost exactly the right width. Planning on using the gap under the bottom of the radiator to route either the front mount intercooler piping or the stock location intercooler scoop. The TH200-4R will bolt to the engine and the transmission mount but will require a new driveshaft so I'm saving more money by going with the SP400 since it is a direct replacement for the ST400 in addition to being cheaper to start with than a BRF TH200-4R. Exhauste is going to be a fun project since the X-frame severly hampers the routing of the pipe out of the engine bay. For starters I'm just going to use the passengers side of my TA 2.5in kit without the headpipe but I plan to upgrade the rest of the system to a 3in stainless system after I'm happy with the downpipe configuration. To keep the fluids cool I'm going to be taking the stock currently decorative parking light pod pieces and millling them open so they are now grills and putting sheetmetal ducting behind the lowever valence to push air into the coolers located in front of the front wheels and will be putting box ducts with louvers in them behind the coolers to keep road debris kicked up off the tires from damaging the coolers. The battery is going into the trunk to make way for the turbo inlet and to help with the weight distrobution and I'll be tying the front and back electrical systems together with 2Ga wiring since the fuel pump will run of the rear buss but the rest will run off of the front buss which is connected directly to the 200A alternator. The starter solenoid will be in the trunk and 2/0 cable will be routed to the starter. So far I've added nothing to the stock harness, there is a Painless CirKit Boss that powers the interior add on stuff and a second one is getting added to the rear for running the rear mounted accessories. The EFI system electronics will be contianed in an underhood fuse and relay center pirated from a 99 Regal GS and its hooked directly to the alternator.
I think that's enough for now don't you? Comments always welcome,
I'm sure lots of you have gathered pieces of this project up over my various different posts but its time to put it in 1 spot. Buckle up, get a drink and some snacks because this is going to be a long post.
The Car:
Its a 1964 Buick Riviera White on White car that I bought 2 yrs ago with 86k original miles. Its a very high option car, so far the identified missing options are the 4 note horn, pop up rear armrest, cruise control, automatic dimming headlights, wooden steering wheel, dual quads, vacuum trunk release, possibly a reverb for the stereo, and the extremely rare alternate rear end ratio. It has power everything including the vent window (power locks were not an option till 66), AM-FM stereo with fader and power antenna, cornering lamps, deluxe interior, speed minder, AC, rear window defroster, and the crowning option a 3.23 POSI!! Its been on 1.75 powertours and the drive back from Colorado was just as long as the 2006 powertour I did. So far the car itself has just recieved FatMat under the rear seat area, inside the passenger's compartment section of the quarters, and the insides of the doors. I've also replaced pretty much all the weatherstripping and rubber seals on the car. The front suspension has been almost totally rebuilt with factory H2 sports suspension or aftermarket upgrade pieces. I pulled the factory radio and speakers and made my own custom plate to hold a pair of 4in speakers for front stereo and put a plate where the radio went for your standard 4 gauges though the gas gauge doesn't work since I'm still running the old style GM factory gauge which has the reverse Ohm range for full to empty.
Currently it has a 425cid 465 Wildcat. For you non Buick guys out there, Buick rated its Nailheads and other engines in production at the same time with thier torque rating so my 425 Nailhead produced 340hp and 465lb-ft of torque when new. This is backed by the first production year of the TH400, though Buick called it the ST400 and it has a bizzare valvebody that like an AODE won't let you hold 2nd without first shifting into Drive letting it go to second then pulling the shifter back into Low. Unfortunately the Nailhead is now sick with the #1 way down on compression, bad blow by problems consuming oil at an ever increasing rate, and the cooling system is full of aluminum and iron dust after last years waterpump explosion on powertour. I've been planning this project for a long time, been building the engine over the last 4yrs, and I'm ready to get on with it.
The New Engine: Franken-Buick V6
Block: 484 4.1L production block bored to 3.995in (0.030 over)
Crank: Eagle 4340 Non-twist internal balance forging in stock 3.400in stroke and stock bearings
Rods: K1 5.960in 4340 forged rods with full floating 0.940in Diamond steel pins
Pistons: 3.995in bore custom Diamond full floating forged pistons with -36cc chamber profiled reverse deflector dome, Diamond file fit 4.00in bore rings
Heads: Champion CNC ported 8445 iron heads with 1.77/1.5in valves (intake oversized), exhaust crossovers filled
Cam: Comp 212/212 at 0.050 ductile iron retrofit roller, Comp 853 retrofit roller hydrallic lifters
Valvetrain: Edelbrock double roller timing chain, TA custom length single piece pushrods, T&D 1.65 full roller shaft mounted rockers with shaft braces
Intake: Currently a stock unported LC2 Turbo6 piece, will be replaced by a Champion GN1 intake when funds allow
Front cover assembly: Stage II Busch Series drysump front cover milled 0.125in for a motor plate (caused interference problems with the timing chain but little else) upper section hand fitted over the top of an L67 Series II gerotor oil pump lower timing cover section sealed together with Aviation formagasket on the aluminum and epoxy joint. Oil pump is driven off of a cut down stock L67 timing gear as an oil pump spacer and a milled depth Indy Lites neutral balance damper.
Headers: Customized steel ATR headers modified for chassis and suspension clearance and external wastegates
Oil Pan: Cut down '64 Buick LeSabre 300 V8 pan for suspension and crossmember clearance
Turbo: Currently nothing but an empty stock LC2 exhaust housing used for mockup and intitial tuning, will probably be replaced by a complete stock LC2 turbo for more tuning practice then a full on watercooled, ball bearing turbo.
Transmission: '67 BT code Switch Pitch SP400 for the time being till I can afford a full built TH200-4R
EFI System: L67 OBDII ECM tuned by HPTuners VCM Pro tuning suite
Major sensor run down:
MAF LQ4 85mm GM, MAP L67 2-bar, Crank Position L67 with reluctors attached to the back of the Indy Lites balancer, Cam sensor LC2 with Casper's cap and L67 harness plug, IAT in the LQ4 MAF, coolant L67, Knock sensor L67 (1 in the factory position the other in a new hole in the rear webbing), O2 LC1 wideband in emulator mode, VSS Painless 60115 bolt on 2 pulse VSS, IAC L67 in a 94 3.4L 60º V6 adapter. Data logging WB02, both sides EGT, and probably a narrowband O2 in front of the turbo routed into the Cat performance O2 sensor sensor lead on the stock harness.
I'll be disabling all the emissions stuff, the trans stuff, and the security stuff to make it work in its stripped down environment.
Harness: 99 Buick Regal GS
ECM: It will think its a 99 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
Injectors: 36pph L67 factory units currently, going to 60pph Motrons with turbo upgrade
Fuel tank: 96 B-body tank and straps on custom mounting
Fuel Pump: currently 96 factor B-body, will be upgraded to twin Walbro units on a hobbes switch with the bigger turbo
Fuel lines: Buick Riviera's with AC came with a return line factory so thats the current setup, will be upgraded to larger stainless lines from Inline tube
The project part. Right now I'm short a handful of things but most of them are on order or atleast a shopping list. I"m going to get the AC system pulled down on the Riviera since it still has R12 in it and I can sell that for some extra money which will probably go towards hose and plumbing. To make this fit I need that '64 LeSabre oil pan to clear the X-frame and the rear steer suspsension and that goofey gerotor oil pump started as an engineering exercise to help the Buick's oiling problems but turned into an absolute need with the fact the V6 will sit so far back into the engine bay that it would have put the oil pump into the engine crossmember. The Nailhead has a Ford style waterpump exit while the V6 has a GM style so I need to replace the radiator and since the stock unit a downflow and rather narrow I'm going to go with a Summit 380325 universal which is about 2in too short but almost exactly the right width. Planning on using the gap under the bottom of the radiator to route either the front mount intercooler piping or the stock location intercooler scoop. The TH200-4R will bolt to the engine and the transmission mount but will require a new driveshaft so I'm saving more money by going with the SP400 since it is a direct replacement for the ST400 in addition to being cheaper to start with than a BRF TH200-4R. Exhauste is going to be a fun project since the X-frame severly hampers the routing of the pipe out of the engine bay. For starters I'm just going to use the passengers side of my TA 2.5in kit without the headpipe but I plan to upgrade the rest of the system to a 3in stainless system after I'm happy with the downpipe configuration. To keep the fluids cool I'm going to be taking the stock currently decorative parking light pod pieces and millling them open so they are now grills and putting sheetmetal ducting behind the lowever valence to push air into the coolers located in front of the front wheels and will be putting box ducts with louvers in them behind the coolers to keep road debris kicked up off the tires from damaging the coolers. The battery is going into the trunk to make way for the turbo inlet and to help with the weight distrobution and I'll be tying the front and back electrical systems together with 2Ga wiring since the fuel pump will run of the rear buss but the rest will run off of the front buss which is connected directly to the 200A alternator. The starter solenoid will be in the trunk and 2/0 cable will be routed to the starter. So far I've added nothing to the stock harness, there is a Painless CirKit Boss that powers the interior add on stuff and a second one is getting added to the rear for running the rear mounted accessories. The EFI system electronics will be contianed in an underhood fuse and relay center pirated from a 99 Regal GS and its hooked directly to the alternator.
I think that's enough for now don't you? Comments always welcome,
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